birthday bash

This post is rather dated as my birthday was over two weeks ago. However, I just received the pictures from Lisa yesterday, thus my justification in a belated retelling. We decided to have a camping excursion rather than the traditional birthday party that always feels slightly awkward. Not all my friends are the camping/hiking type, so the it was only Graham, Lisa and I that set out late on Friday the 16th. The moon was quite bright that night so we hiked sans headlamps, slightly wary of bears. We managed to have our camp set up around 1:30 a.m. and promptly jumped into our tents and went to sleep. It was so dark out that I was sure the flash from the camera did permanent damage to my retinas.
Lisa and I were sure we heard an animal of some sort near our tent in the early morning hours but were too cold to do any investigating. I woke early and went for a short jaunt by myself, enjoying the stillness of the morning and the mist on the lake.

In the morning Bryce joined us for our day hike. We came across a fabulous waterfall and we thought that if we continued hiking up the mountain we would finally hit the path. After an hour of some heavy bushwhacking we did not find the trail, nor was there hope we would. Lisa thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of me when I really thought I was stuck in the trees, she then snapped a photo of herself. I did manage to find a way out of my jam cursing the whole way. We eventually hiked out of the dense brush and hiked up some rock face. On the way down I slipped several times, but only ripped my pocket. A lumbering porcupine crossed my path, which was as exciting as the wildlife got that day.

In the eve of the 17th, the celebration was underway. MaryAnne, Ben, and Jane joined us and brought the hotdogs and smores. We were treated to a spectacle like no other from Mother Nature. The full moon rose from behind a mountain peak and we were all in awe. It was absolutely beautiful out there and it truly was one of the best gifts I could receive. Happy birthday to me!